OTTAWA, May 19 (UPI) -- A 52-year-old Canadian nuclear facility that produces medical isotopes leaked radioactive water during a power outage, federal regulators said.
The incident was reported Monday night by Atomic Energy of Canada, which said the leak on Thursday posed "no threat to workers, the public, the environment or nuclear safety," the Canwest News Service reported.
A storm-related power outage affected the National Research Universal reactor at the Chalk River, Ontario, facility, about 110 miles west of Ottawa. The plant produces half of the world's supply of medical isotopes used in diagnosing cancer and heart disease, the report said.
The regulator estimated the reactor would be out of service for about a month while repairs and testing are conducted. It said isotope shortages could occur as early as Saturday, Canwest reported.
